President of Taigavu
The President of the Republic is the Head of State of the Taigavian Government and serves as de-facto chief executive officer, although in times of peace this power is delegated to the Prime Minister. The powers, functions and duties of prior Presidential offices and their relation with the Prime Minister and Cabint, have over time differed with the various national constitutions since the 1810 Republic. The current President is Jemilla Smith who succeeded Corbyn Duncan on 18 April 2018. History The presidency of Taigavu was first publicly proposed during the revolution of 1809 when the question on who would lead the new republic once the war was won began. In 1810 the founders of the Revolutionary Republic of Taigavu established a new constitution largely modelled on the American Constitution with Monsoir Phillipe Tai being elected the first and only President as the monarchy was restored on 1 June 1815. It was not until the Communist Revolution of 1922 that the Provisional Republic of Taigavu established the office of President. However the former King, King Louis IV was the only person to serve as the President and is best described as a military dictator. Under the People's Republic of Taigavu the Congress of Taigavu would vote for a President who was usually the Communist Party's General Secretary. In 2012, for the first time since 1814, the people of Taigavu voted directly for their Head of State, although known as the Governor-General, the office held effectively the same power as the current President. Sir Oliver Cooney was elected to this office in 2012 & 2014. The Constitution of Taigavu (2015) greatly increased Presidential Powers to provide stability in times of crisis. The President serves a four year term and is only allowed to serve two terms. Election Since the 2017 Constitutional Amendment the Head of State has been directly elected by universal suffrage. Previously the President was indirectly elected by the people through the now disbanded electoral college. No President has served a full term after a democratic election. Sir Oliver Cooney was elected in 2015 but resigned due to failing health in 2017. He was succeded by Carter Cardakliya who was elected in 2017 but was forced to resign after the 2017 Constitutional Crisis. Corbyn Duncan was then elected by the nation and promised to serve a full term although he decided to retire in April 2018. In April of 2018 after both the Prime Minister and Deputy Prime Minister refused the offer to become President, the Senate choose Governor Jemilla Smith to become the fouth President of the Republic. In order to become an official candidate a person must be selected by a registered party with more than 3,000 members or have at least 1000 signatures from the electoral role. Spending and financing of campaigns and political parties are highly regulated. There is a cap on spending, at approximately 20 million euros, and government public financing of 50% of spending if the candidate scores more than 5%. If the candidate receives less than 5% of the vote, the government funds €8,000,000 to the party (€4,000,000 paid in advance). Taigavu Presidential elections are conducted using Instant runoff voting which ensures that the elected President always achieves a majority: if no candidate receives a majority of votes the candidate with the lowest number of votes is eliminated and their preferences distributed accordingly, this continues until a candidate receives a majority and is elected President. After the President is elected they go through an inauguration ceremony. Powers The Republic of Taigavu is a semi-presidential system. Unlike many other European & Commonwealth nations, the Taigavian President is quite powerful. Although it is the Prime Minister of Taigavu, the Government as well as the Parliament that oversee much of the nation's actual day-to-day affairs, especially domestic issues, the Taigavian President wields significant influence and authority, especially in the fields of national security and foreign policy. The President's greatest power is their ability to choose the Prime Minister. However, since the House of Representatives has the sole power to dismiss the Prime Minister whom is the Government's chief representation in Parliament, the President is usually forced to name a Prime Minister who can command the support of the House (usually the leader of the largest party). They also have the duty of arbitrating the well-functioning of government authorities for efficient service, as well as the Head of State of Taigavu. * When the majority of the House has opposite political views to that of the President, this leads to political cohabitation. In that case, the President's power is diminished, since much of the de facto power relies on a supportive Prime Minister and the House, and is not directly attributed to the post of President. * When the majority of the House sides with them, the President can take a more active role and may, in effect, direct government policy. The Prime Minister is then the personal choice of the President, and can be easily replaced if the administration becomes unpopular. The mandate if the President is four years while the House is only two years allowing for a higher chance of cohabitation then if the two were synced. This has lead to the bolstering of Prime Ministerial powers by ambitious leaders such as the current Prime Minister, Thomas Stephen, whom is seen as powerful as a Prime Minister in a Parliamentary System. Among the powers of the government: * The President assents to bills to allow them to become law ** The President has the power to veto any bill sent by Congress. ** The President may also refer the bill back to Congress with suggested amendments to allow for assent. * The President may dissolve the House of Representatives and if deadlock occurs may dissolve the Congress but in so doing also forfeits their term and must face an election. * The President is the Commander in Chief of the Armed Forces of Taigavu * The President names but cannot dismiss the Prime Minister. The President names and dismisses the othe ministers of their cabinet with the consensus of the Prime Minister. * The President names most officials (the current Cabinet Manual insists the President does this with Cabinet approval) * The President names Justices of the High Court to the Senate for approval. * The President recieves foreign ambassadors. * The President may grant pardons. Impeachment Chapter II, Section 38 of the Constitution allows for the removal of all civil offices, including the president, from office for "treason, bribery, or other high crimes and misdemeanors." Chapter I, Part I, Section 9, Sub-Section 4 authorizes the House of Representatives to serve as a "grand jury" with the power to impeach said officials by a majority vote. Chapter I, Part II, Section 20, Sub-Sections 1 & 2 authorises the Senate to serve as a court with the power to remove impeached officials from office, by a two-thirds vote to convict. Succesion Upon the death, removal, or resignation of the President, the Prime Minister is invited by the Chief Justice to become the President. In this situation, the Prime Minister becomes President of the Republic; he or she does becomes the new President of the Republic as elected and therefore has to resign from his or her position as Prime Minister. If the Prime Minister refuses the Chief Justices offer, the same offer is sent to the Deputy Prime Minister, if they accept they become President if they decline the Chief Justice instructs the Senate to select a new President. If the President cannot attend meetings, including meetings of the Council of Ministers, he can ask the Prime Minister to attend in his stead (Constitution, Section 42, Sub-Section 2, paragraph A). This clause has been applied by presidents travelling abroad, ill, or undergoing surgery. Out of the four Presidents; 1 has resigned at an election (O. Cooney); 1 defeated at an election (C. Cardakliya); and 1 resigned (C. Duncan), who was replaced by incumbant President J. Smith after the Senate nominated her in April 2018 when both the PM and DPM refused the offer. Latest Election